How I Met Your Mama
by AlwaysInSonder
Summary: In which Sasuke explains to his little girl how he is, in her eyes, head over heels in love. [SPOILERS] Post-War; Heavily based on the manga's newest chapters and Naruto The Last movie. SasuSaku, NaruHina and all other canon couples.
1. How I Loved Mama

_"Papa?"_

 _"Hn?"_

 _"How did you know you love Mama?"_

 _"…"_

 ** _45 miles outside of Konohagakure_**

 ** _The day the war ended._**

 ** _5:14AM_**

Sakura trudged back to the cave, a few logs in her arms and a small bundle of herbs she had found whilst foraging. She threw the logs to the fire and dusted off her gloved hands. Her eyes were dry, she was hungry, thirsty and nearly drained of chakra. But she still needed to heal more wounds. She collapsed next to the two men, reaching for the bundle. From her pack, she produced a pestle and mortar and began measuring out the herbs and grinding them to a paste together.

Behind her, one of the men observed her mutely. His only good eye could barely open - still smeared in blood and grime. But the injuries elsewhere in his body screamed more than the fact that he was bleeding from his eye sockets. Of course, she with all her remarkable skill, managed to stop the bleeding. His eye moved down her cloaked figure to the weathered, small hands. She had removed her gloves now and was scraping the paste to her palm. It still made him wonder how such small delicate hands can have so much power – be it to heal an entire fleet of shinobi, or to pack a punch that could literally be felt for miles around.

He thought back to the days of when she was twelve. Naïve, cheerful and just annoying. Of course then, he had meant it in the most affectionate way; in the Uchiha's sense of course. But she, very much like the man resting soundly next to him, were his precious friends. His greed, hatred and lust for power had blinded him from the people who had filled the hole in his blackened heart. He knew no one could replace his parents, even his brother. But Naruto had been the closest to a brother that he could ever ask for; Kakashi, an eccentric yet concerned father who truly did care for his students.

And then there was her.

His brow furrowed. He did think she was a nuisance, but he never realised how important she was in his life till she was no longer there. He found out the real meaning of ' nuisance' from Karin – always in his way, fawning over him in the worst possible situations and even going to despicable lengths to get his attention. With Sakura, he knew what she felt for him. And he knew it was pure. As pure as the love his mother gave him – a love that is gentle, unassuming and unconditional. As pure as the affection Itachi had shown him before the massacre.

He lost his family twice.

Once, a bloody massacre that would scar him for a lifetime.

The other, of his own accord.

What he never understood was why they never felt bitter anger towards him. The sort of bitterness he had after his family was taken away from him. With Naruto, he understood his stubbornness. He himself was as stubborn. But even when he had almost killed them, showed them such malice, they welcomed him with open arms. He could never understand why.

His eye shifted to the pink-haired woman, now hovering over him. She began to smear the herbal paste over his cuts, her brow furrowed in concentration as she used the last bit of her chakra to close gaping wounds.

"Sakura…I.."

He watched her brows raise and her green irises shifting to him for a split second. They were gentle, unassuming and filled with unconditional love. He felt a jolt in his chest. To think he almost killed her. But her eyes soon shifted to lifelessness and the tiredness showed.

"Don't, I need to concentrate."

He spied a glimmer of tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry…"

Her brows raised, but her expression didn't change.

"Sorry? For what?"

At this point, the emotion showed in his own face, something he hadn't done since mourning the death of Itachi.

"For everything…"

He watched her lip wobble and the tears pool before spilling down her flushed, dirt-smeared cheeks.

"You better be…jerk."

 ** _Konohagakure General Hospital_**

 ** _4 days post-war._**

 ** _1:47PM_**

"I'm expecting the hospital supplies from Sand in a minute, can you watch over him till then?"

Sakura smiled and nodded as one of the young nurses handed her the clipboard. Being a medic who had been out in the field, she was given a few days off to recover. Of course, as the mentee of a sage and a healer to her very being, she couldn't stay away from the hospital. Not when they need all the help they needed. Her feat of healing an entire army of shinobi had become something of a legacy overnight. She had also gained suitors overnight. She would find small bundles of flowers on her desks with notes from shinobi she had personally healed.

Among the bundles of roses, a single daffodil sat on the centre of her desk on a cracked glass of water.

A strong flower that waits for the hope of Spring.

Her cheeks flushed as she read the note and a certain sense of nostalgia hit her. Right before the day he had left the village, she had given him a daffodil. She shook her head and set the glass down. It couldn't possibly be from him.

 _ **Konohagakure Accident & Emergency Division**_

 _ **15 weeks post-war.**_

 _ **3:05AM**_

Sakura always felt his presence nearby. She supposed some people would be frightened by the ominous presence following them; but to her, it was an almost comforting feeling. Honestly, she didn't need to be watched over. But his sentiment was felt and it never failed to leave a warm blush on her cheeks. As usual, she finished up her rounds in the hospital. Now that the war was over, it was a matter of building from the ground up. Most of their emergency cases came from accidents in the reconstruction efforts. All the same, today was no less hectic from the rest and she was exhausted. She yawned as she washed her hands, discarding her scrubs and stopped by her office to gather her things. A new daffodil would always replace the one that was there every day and it never failed to put a small smile on her face.

She hoisted her bag, heavy with new medical books and stepped out of the hospital through the back door. It was a medic nin's duty to be kept abreast of new developments and healing techniques and those were books for when she got home.

Twelve hour shifts and three hours of daily readings. He watched her quietly, but amusedly as she stretched and made her way down the dark alleyways. It was hard to believe that this girl would obsess over her hair a few years ago. He frowned then, remembering the first time she had gotten her 'haircut'. They had all experienced a change of some form that day.

He followed after her, vigilant of any suspicious figures lurking in the shadows. Since the war, crime has plummeted in Konoha. But Sasuke still felt a need to watch over her. It was not that he didn't think her capable of protecting herself, it was just that he thought it ridiculous that she always had to walk home alone when she was most vulnerable- chakra-drained and not in the right frame of mind to battle should she get attacked.

Besides, anyone who would even dare think of attacking her are one or both of two things –are new to the village or are extremely, extremely stupid.

He frowned as she shifted the bulging bag to her other shoulder. What did she have in there, bricks? He swooped down from his perch on a roof and landed quietly behind her. He watched her freeze and her hand reaching for the hidden kunai pouch on her thigh but relax as soon as she recognized the chakra signature. She was so tired that day, she almost forgot about him.

"Evening Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

He walked over to her side and wordlessly plucked off her bag and - quite literally, swept her off her feet. He ignored her squeaks and her not-so-gentle poundings to his chest. In the shadows, Sakura failed to see the slight smirk on his lips.

 ** _Konohagakure Children's Hospital_**

 ** _6 months post-war._**

 ** _12:37PM_**

Sasuke hated it when she had to do her shifts at her favourite hospital. Not that he had a particular dislike for children - hardly, considering he had the sudden realization that he would one day need to have children of his own. But his distaste stemmed mostly from the stares he got from the little cretins and the hushed giggles from the nurses. It was no secret to the hospital staff of the 'complicated' relationship Sakura and himself had. It must be some sort of soap opera to them.

But another part of him...liked seeing her interact with the children. He wondered how he would fare with children - especially his own. He considered the fact that that was highly unlikely to happen. Even though he was (or at least, he was told) Konoha's Most Eligible Ex-Con - no doubt, he had plenty of volunteers who'd happily bear his children, he doubted he could truly restore his clan to the supreme power it once was. At the very least, he didn't want his clan's legacy to die off in one of bloodshed and hatred as per the curse. He wanted to make things right with the village first.

He leaned back on to the tree branch and watched as Sakura checked up on a little boy's cast. He was seated on a wheelchair and was left to watch the other children play. "You're healing quick Natsu-chan! Looks like you'd be a remarkable shinobi one day!" He watched as the little boy's face lit up and Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. The little boys thought her a goddess and would likely worship the ground she stepped on. Heck, he'd seen her be 'proposed' to three times already. Not that he was jealous, of course.

"Ahem."

Sasuke readied an annoyed, but not completely malicious stare to the intruder - a senior nurse. She stared unflinchingly back and raised a grey eyebrow. Indeed, he hadn't considered how a cloaked man hiding in a tree overlooking a playground looked like. He sighed and jumped down; much to the excitement of the children. A few of the little girls squealed and ran off - presumably to fetch 'Sakura onee-chan' and inform her that her 'boyfriend' was here to take her to lunch.

 _ **Hokage's Office**_

 _ **11 months post-war.**_

 _ **4:58PM**_

Kakashi watched his student lazily as he read through the mission scrolls. He, and pretty much the rest of the shinobi of Naruto's generation have been waiting too long. Already, Naruto and Hinata were in the process of planning their wedding. He wondered when his 'oldest' would be hitched as well. He really was getting old. His eye crinkled in a smile and he set down his weathered copy of Icha Icha Paradise. "I'm assuming you're not staying in my office for the ambiance or my pleasant company?"

At least the boy- young man, snorted. "If you must know, yes, she's had suitors." He watched bemusedly as Sasuke gave him what he supposed was an indifferent look. He returned his gaze to his book, equally indifferent. "In fact, I've heard through the grapevine that Matsuda-san is planning on confessing on her birthday." He smirked behind his mask as Sasuke visibly tensed. He shifted his chair to the side and propped his legs up. "Now shoo, I've got work to do."

Matsuda was, stereotypically enough, Konoha's most eligible bachelor - right behind Naruto. Rich, a powerful shinobi family and of course, devastatingly handsome. He was the annoying prick that had been sending Sakura bouquets and making frequent visits to her at her workplace with 'injuries'. Sasuke would have loved to give him real injuries, but he supposed that would only encourage him more than deter him. His eye narrowed and he left the office in a poof.

And as expected, on Sakura's birthday, Kakashi received a mission report from Sakura and Sasuke Uchiha.

 _"...I just did."_

* * *

 **A/N: Oh Lordy! It is good to be back! I have literally not written in ages! As for the mess that is the story above - please be kind, I wrote this on impulse and under a day. Also, since I have not written in a while, I would imagine there would be some nasty mistakes hidden in there that my rusty eyes have not picked out. I am not entirely certain if I should turn this long-term: perhaps a short collection of stories or just leave as-is as a one shot. I have been frustrated by the gaps left by Kishimoto regarding Sasuke and Sakura's backgrounds and I just wanted to fill in my own gaps! Please do give me your thoughts and feedback ^^**


	2. How I Proposed to Mama

_"Papa…"_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"How did you propose to Mama?"_

 _"…"_

* * *

 _ **Konohagakure Northern Gates**_

 _ **7:21am**_

 _ **11 Months Post-War**_

Sakura closed the door to her apartment behind her. After fastening the locks, she turned and tugged on her black leather gloves and ran into a solid wall of muscle.

"Sasuke-kun! Ah, gomen gomen. I thought we were meeting at the gates."

A soft grunt was the only reply before he turned on his heel to walk towards the gates. Sakura smiled to herself and followed quickly after him. Recently, the reformed shinobi had been conveniently around her premises. She figured this time he was genuinely here so that they could go on the mission together, but Sakura was still baffled that he would choose her to go the mission on with him. She glanced at his form discretely. He had gotten much taller over the years. They used to be around the same height as genin. Now, he towered over her. Her eyes travelled down to the broad, muscled shoulders that stood out prominently even with the cloak he wore. Sakura felt herself flush. Look at her, ogling him once more. She cleared her throat and waited for him to acknowledge with his choice of grunts and "Hn?"

"Have you packed lunch?"

She felt him pause and smiled to herself. For some reason, both Naruto and he had this habit of forgetting to pack food. Sure, there were the standard issue shinobi dry-food and nutrient packets; but those were for survival conditions.

"Good thing I packed bento boxes for the both of us."

It would be the end of the world before Sasuke admitted that he had a thing for Sakura's cooking. Oh no. He wasn't even going to mention how much he missed having her omelette rolls with tiny chopped tomatoes to side with his onigiri.

"Yes, it's that omelette and onigiri you like."

Sakura couldn't see, but Sasuke had a small smile playing on his lips.

 _ **Konoha-Suna Border**_

 _ **12:23pm**_

"I'm surprised we're just retrieving scrolls. I would have thought you would take on more dangerous missions."

Sasuke knew why Kakashi gave him this mission and why he left it to him to choose his partner. But he wasn't going to tell her and he definitely wasn't going to give credit to the old man for trying to set them up.

"The retrieval itself isn't dangerous. It's the journey there. Bandits been reported to be robbing merchants there. Rogue shinobi."

"Ah…"

Sakura popped another piece of omelette between her lips. Chewing slowly and savouring the fresh tomatoes. Usually, she made her omelettes plain but now that Sasuke always seemed to be around, she added tomatoes to a lot of her meals.

"Sakura…"

She lifted her gaze from her bento, watching him curiously. They were on a hill that overlooked the Suna desert. They had found a large tree that shielded them from the sweltering heat and decided to take lunch. Sand in onigiri never went well after all. For the first time in his life, Sasuke was speechless. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know exactly what he felt. For once, he didn't know what his next move would be. And he wasn't even in battle. Sakura watched as his fingers tightened around his chopsticks and her brow furrowed in concern. His cheeks were flushed, but Sakura figured it was from the heat.

"Sasuke-kun, are you alright? You need some water. Wouldn't do you good to get a heatstroke…"

She scrambled to get her pack and pulled out a bottle of water. But by the time she turned Sasuke was standing behind her looking embarrassed rather than dehydrated.

"You can't say yes to him."

He decided that thinking about that god-forsaken rich, pretty-boy would do him no good. Sakura didn't deserve to see his anger. That attention-seeking idiot did.

"Wha…What are you talking about?"

This time, she was sure Sasuke straight up glared at her. Feeling a little ruffled, her grip on the bottle tightened and she burst it…over his head.

"Glaring at me, huh? You have more cheek than Naruto I tell you."

For a moment, Sasuke stared at stunned silence at her. Water flattened his hair to his head and dripped down his face and to his chest. He had thought she was genuinely furious, but she burst into laughter and fell to the floor giggling like a madwoman.

Correction, she was a madwoman.

"Oh..Oh my Sasuke…Pffft…Hahahahaha!"

One a madman like him was madly in love with.

 _ **A few miles off Sunakagure**_

 _ **5:58pm**_

"Ne Sasuke-kun, it's almost sunset. We should find an inn or shelter. Suna has terrible sandstorms at night."

Sasuke didn't pay much attention, his back was turned to her and he was continuing on. They had passed Sunakagure and replenished their supplies. But Sasuke knew they wouldn't really need much. To be honest, Sakura had thought right. The mission was a simple scroll retrieval given to him by Kakashi to push them together. He cursed the old man and then cursed himself for taking the bait.

"Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura sounded apprehensive and quickly, he shifted his gaze and his senses to his surroundings. His only hand rested on the sheath of his sword.

But there was no impending threat. Sasuke turned irritably towards Sakura and found himself instantly disarmed by her worried gaze.

"You've been acting strange…Is everything all right?"

No. Nothing was alright. The moment Sakura returned to the village, that despicable bastard was going to pop the question and he would lose his only chance with her.

Then again…he never deserved that chance.

He almost jerked away when he felt soft fingers touching his cheek, but remembering that it was her, he kept still. His eyes watched her closely, as she stroked her fingertips over his cheekbone.

"…Baka."

He blinked and the next thing he knew, he was flying. Literally. With an agonized growl and a hell of an ache on his cheek, Sasuke, for the first time in ages, found himself in a crumpled heap. He had always been on the other end, watching in amusement as Naruto flew all over Konoha when he tested her temper, but this had to be his first time.

"When are you going to speak up?!"

Still disoriented, Sasuke lifted his head weakly and gazed dazedly up at her. He had to be a lunatic for he couldn't think of any other time she looked more irresistible. He felt a drip on his cheek and widened his eyes. She was crying.

She sniffled and looked like she wanted to say more but just stood up and wiped her eyes. "It's...I'm sorry. I should not have done that. It's just…frustrating." She sounded so resigned. It was so unlike of her. He felt something in him tug as she turned away and his brow furrowed. He parted his lips, intending to say something. An apology? No, he's given one already and he knew that was nothing to repay a life time debt he had put himself in for the things he made her go through.

"Sakura…" he finally managed. But she had already walked ahead of him. He sighed and collected his bearings. It was darkening quickly and they needed to reach the inn. The night winds were already beginning to pick up. Sasuke followed after her, giving her space. Even from the ten foot distance between them, he could feel the cloud of disappointment around her. It was entirely his fault. He probably lost her for good.

 _ **9:38pm**_

For the longest time, Sasuke had wondered how he was ever going to make it up to the people that cared so deeply for him. It was a love that he sorely didn't deserve and till this day, struggled to understand. He treated them so badly. Nearly killed them. That was surely unforgivable. But they welcomed him with open arms. It was something he contemplated over and over. Almost on an hourly basis. His lack of understanding led him here. If he understood how love really worked, perhaps Sakura wouldn't be there, disappointed and hurt. It actually hurt him. A sore feeling in his chest, that he hadn't felt since he lost his family as a small child. His solitary journey of redemption let him open his eyes he had ignorantly kept shut in his blind rampage for revenge and power. It dawned on him that what he had done was almost irredeemable damage. Not to mention that he had threatened to kill the woman he know longed for secretly. It disgusted him to no end.

Eventually, they had left Suna territory and the sand had finally left their sandals. Cold mulch squished underneath their shoes as they trekked through a dense forest. It was a familiar forest. Many ninjas cut through this forest and through Suna instead of circling around. It ran the risk of running into bandits and of course Suna's sandstorms, but it was all in a day's work for a ninja.

His head perked as he noticed Sakura stop walking to look up at the moon. It wasn't a particularly clear night and the air was bitingly cold. There was the scent in the air that indicated it was going to rain soon and he had spied Sakura rubbing her shoulders through her cloak.

"Let's build camp here." He muttered. Speaking for what felt like the first time since they left Konoha. Sakura turned to him in surprise but nodded faintly. She wandered off, likely to find a small stream to get water and he set down his bags to build a fire.

By the time he had pitched a tent for her, Sakura returned with a handful of fish and freshly picked herbs. It impressed him that beyond being a medic-nin, she had become a pretty remarkable shinobi. Even the smallest things about her never failed to surprise him. But on a twist of thought, he realised it was because he thought so little of her in his younger days. He knew of her potential, even of Naruto's but he chose not to give them the acknowledgement they deserved. Not like they needed it, but Sasuke was beginning to see what the rest of the shinobi of their generation resented him so much.

"I'll take the first watch."

"Ah, alright."

Her head was bent over the fish, deftly preparing them for the fire. She removed the scales easily with her kunai, scoring them down the belly and gutting them. She patted a dry rub of crushed herbs on the fish before skewering them on branches before placing them before the fire. Both of them watched as the flames licked the fish, slowly cooking and leaving a delicious scent wafting through the air. Sasuke turned the fish, looking over to see Sakura's head now bent over a small book. She seemed determined not to look at him this night, and it annoyed him to no end. He cleared his throat, hoping that she would glance up. Only, she quietly turned a page and continued her reading.

Sighing, he slouched back against the tree and looked over at her. "Sakura…" she finally looked up, her eyes devoid of emotion and her expression showing the signs of exhaustion. He felt guilty then. As much as a powerful kunoichi Sakura was, Sasuke forgot that not everyone was used to barraging forward several miles with few breaks. Suigetsu and Karin used to give him so much gripe about that. "Are you cold? Your nose is pink." He watched with a slight sense of satisfaction as Sakura's cheeks flushed. He was glad at least, that she harboured some feelings for him still. Even though he didn't deserve a single ounce of it, it comforted him in knowing that he wasn't completely hated.

"Come here."

Sakura blinked at him and his eyes looked back coolly at her. He wasn't going to repeat himself. He held up an arm as she stood up eventually, walking over to him.

"Sasuk-"

He tugged her down to his lap and surrounded her with his cloak. His arms were kept carefully on her shoulders, though they craved to curl around the beautiful curves of her waist. With all her strength, Sasuke also forgot how tiny his kunoichi was. He felt the top of her head tickle his chin and he felt this overwhelming need to hold her closer. It seemed even Sakura was hesitant, for she was not at all swooning as she would have back then.

A sudden, frigidly cold breeze blew over them, extinguishing their campfire. Sasuke sighed in annoyance and attempted shifting towards the fire, but the slump of Sakura's head on his chest stopped him. Her body had finally relaxed and it was then Sasuke realised she was out cold. He blinked down at the young woman, not quite believing that she was right there in his arms. Leaning against him, even. She trusted him enough to fall asleep right in his arms. He had to lean back against the tree trunk in shock. A small part of him was annoyed with her, for trusting him so easily. But the better part of him felt the gentle warmth of her womanly curves on his hard body. Sasuke was still a man, after all.

 _ **3:58AM**_

Sakura stirred and yawned. Goodness, had she fallen asleep during a mission? It was bad that she hadn't gone on a mission in months, with the village needing her for her medical expertise over anything else. She had gone rusty in being a shinobi. She couldn't help it. Usually, sleeping during missions was something of a luxury. It involved cold, muddy grounds and usually being woken by a bandit or several. It goes without saying that no shinobi sleeps without one eye open.

But this time, she had fallen asleep something so wonderfully warm, it was impossible not to drift off to a blissful sleep. Until she realised that something was a _someone_.

"Sasuke-kun!"

She attempted pulling herself off of him, only to realize his strong arms had wrapped his cloak around her, while cuddling her to his chest. The ridiculous man looked down at her nonchalantly, as though the thin sweater he wore was enough for the frigid temperature.

"Ah, you're awake."

Sakura blinked up at him, feeling her cheeks flush uncontrollably. His body was ridiculously warm despite his lack of warm clothing. She attempted scrambling away from him, but his arms – wonderfully muscular and warm as they were, kept her locked in. The fact that she had every ounce of strength within her pinky to flick off the man was apparent, but her body decided to betray her today.

"You were shivering."

It was a simple statement. He said it so nonchalantly, Sakura almost believed him. He was holding her a little too closely and she suspected that the hardness pressing to her thigh was not a spare kunai in his pocket. At least he had tried being a gentleman in minimising skin contact by wrapping her with his cloak.

With great reluctance, Sakura tugged herself away from his grasp and moved towards the extinguished fire, she knelt beside it, starting it up again before going over to him to return his cloak with a shy, whispered thank you.

 _ **North Kumogakure**_

 _ **6:12am**_

 _ **One week later**_

For the next several days, they had fallen into a familiar pattern. Sakura, while taking her shift to sleep, would end up in his arms to the point that they had actually become comfortable cuddling when they were alone. Sasuke still had a hard time letting himself touch her, but Sakura's eventual forwardness eased him into wrapping his arms around her waist. There was no denying that there was a palpable tension between the two. Sasuke saw her in a renewed light - as a woman. He couldn't help his eyes from tracing the ample curves that weren't there before and his iron-clad discipline faltered every time he had a glimpse of her cleavage. But he was careful to ensure she never noticed. The last thing he wanted was he ex-teammate to know he was lusting over her. Even so, each night saw them growing more intimate with the other, and not just in the physical sense. Though conversations were mostly one-sided with Sakura prattling on over some matter such as the upcoming nuptials of Hinata and Naruto or Sai's hilarious proposal to Ino, Sasuke didn't mind the slightest and neither did she. Things seemed to be going terrific.

Only, Sakura had kissed him last night.

It was mostly accidental, considering that they had checked themselves into an inn that also happened to have a bar. Considering their mission was over and it was only a matter of returning home, the pair had decided to drink the night away. Sasuke's dependency on his ninjitsu granted him a superhuman-like metabolism. It was near impossible to get him drunk. While Sakura was no light-weight, the fact that the inn's owner kept sending free drinks her way (until Sasuke finally stood up to give him a good, scathing glare that established that the woman was in fact, _his_ ), was the reason he was left with a slightly woozy kunoichi. His lady was too polite to refuse, after all.

Sasuke glanced over at the still-sleeping kunoichi, and wondered if she remembered the events of the night before. With his one good arm, he had the task of hoisting her up on his shoulder and bringing her back to their shared room. He stayed silent through her slurred rumblings and quietly tolerated the furious and ridiculously painful kicks to his back as he wrestled her back to their room.

When he finally set her down on her bed, he was met with tears. Startled, he bent over her, examining her body to check if he had injured her by accident. "Are you hurt?" His brows furrowed in concern and his eyes had softened. Seeing her cry had always been a weakness, even as a boy. Albeit, if the cause of her tears were because someone had hurt her, there was no secret that it fueled his fury to ensure the culprit suffered every pain possible. But if it was because of him...he didn't know what to do with himself. She sniffled and shook her head, tugging him down next to the bed by the shirt.

 _"Sasuke-kun...Do you love me?"_

The question left him dumbstruck but before he could even think, soft lips had crushed against his.

His body froze before his arms eventually curled around her body, bringing her closer to him. She was straddling him on the floor, her fingers buried in his dark locks and her soft legs surrounding his waist. Their body's sought each other's warmth and Sakura's hands urged him to touch him places he could only secretly fantasize about. But the obvious tint of alcohol on her lips made him stop and he pried her off of him. The alcohol was obviously making her delusional. He ignored her whines and cries and wrapped her up in the blanket to stop the lethal fists of hers from flying about and punching him to the moon. A sort of make-shift straitjacket. He watched glumly, tugging his cloak over his lap where a tent was quickly forming until the young woman finally drifted off to sleep.

Sasuke sighed and leaned his forehead against the bedpost. What he did was right and it also helped him realise.

He did love her.

"Sas..Sasuke-kun?"

Her soft voice broke him out of his reverie. There was a flush of warmth in his body upon the revelation and it seemed to make him hyper-aware of his surroundings as if he was not already. He noticed everything about her - the green in her eyes; the very exact shade he had dreamed about for years while stuck in Orochimaru's dark compounds was not quite the right shade. There was a mirth in them that he had not seen in anyone else. He saw those captivating eyes fill with tears and in an instant, he was by her side, freeing her from the make-shift straitjacket to gather her in his arms. He hugged her tight, through the soft sobs and brushed away her tears.

"I'm sorry...for hitting you.."

Her lips were pressed against his pulse, whispering feebly. It seemed like she did remember the previous night's spectacle. Sasuke, on the other hand, was struggling with himself. Unsure of what to do with the new revelation. He knew he harboured a special fondness for Sakura; gratitude even from their genin days. He never expected those feelings to grow to love her. He wanted to see her happy, and for some reason, he did nothing but upset her. It seemed like his apology on the battlefield was pathetic. It was not at all redeemable of him to expect to be forgiven. He wanted to spend the rest of his life repaying for his sins - to the village, and to her.

"Sakura...will you marry me?" 

* * *

_"…Ask Mama."_

* * *

 **Author's Note: Originally, this was intended to be the story of how Sarada was 'made' *winkwink* but it turned out this way and I'm pretty happy with it. Again, I took some artistic liberty with Sasuke's emotions but gauging from the new Naruto movies and how he was in Gaiden, I felt it was pretty natural and I strove to keep him in-character as possible. Please do tell me you thoughts through the reviews, they really encourage me to write. Perhaps even inspire me to really write that chapter of Sarada came to be ;) Hope you enjoyed!**


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